Humans are not intrinsically good or virtuous. If you were to map out humanity as a whole on a good and evil scale. Most of humanity would fit somewhere in the middle of a bell curve.
For thousands of years across multiple civilizations throughout the world we have had this Utopian ideal for a future world. One in which there is no suffering and all people are taken care of. This world is to be made manifest 1 of 2 ways according to them.
We all become virtuous, loving compassionate people. If everyone is virtuous then there will be no crime or need for laws. We will all live in harmony with each other and nature turning this planet into paradise.
There is some sort benevolent divine intervention that saves us from ourselves. In religion its Jesus, Maitreya, or some kind of messiah figure that will return in the end times to save us from ourselves. Evil will be destroyed and the world will be made new. Some people think aliens will save us. In socialism, an all wise and benevolent government will provide for the people. The Venus project wants to use AI to make their version of socialism work.
Option 1 is legit in theory. If tomorrow morning we all woke up full of unconditional love, forgave everyone and dedicated our lives to making the world the best possible place for everyone. We could turn this planet into paradise overnight. We could make this planet so amazing that alien religions on distant planets would revolve around the idea, “if you follow these rules, when you die you will go to Earth”. Chances of that happening anytime soon are negligible outside of some kind of miracle.
Option 2 means we failed as a species. It means we are so messed up as a species that we cannot take care of ourselves. Some outside force has to rule over us, “for our own good”. This idea is horrible, we don’t need someone or something to save us from ourselves. Even if your savior exists and wants to help.
Free market capitalism looks at this problem differently. It accepts, not all people are good. Both the greedy and the altruistic are encouraged to create value for society by rewarding them with capital. This system mimics nature. Where goods and services are the equivalent of life/biodiversity in nature. Capital is the equivalent of energy.
In free market capitalism, all transaction are voluntary. Everyone has the same rights and privileges. The result is people and organizations compete for resources by creating value. The altruistic are motivated to benefit others and the greedy are motivated to benefit themselves. The result is the same, more value for society by providing goods and services.
Incentives are one aspect, the second is risk. Without risks resources are misallocated and bad actors destroy society. If you make bad investments you go bankrupt. If you commit fraud you are held liable. There has to be punishment for taking value out of society, intentionally or unintentionally.
The other day I was watching some prank videos that baited criminals and punished them, here is a couple examples. Its illegal if anyone were to press charges. I’m guessing many of the criminals are on parole and don’t want to press charges.
WARNING VIDEOS CONTAIN SWEARS, MAY NOT BE SAFE FOR WORK
WARNING VIDEOS CONTAIN SWEARS, MAY NOT BE SAFE FOR WORK
Risk keeps crime down by keeping bad actors in check. Imagine a community with bait cars, bait packages, bait purses, etc. everywhere. Lots of cops, everyone is a MMA fighter and everyone has concealed carry. In this community there is also thriving free market economy. The risk of stealing would be huge and because the economy is thriving there is also incentives to work for goods. Carrot and the stick.
We can build a “Utopian” world by dramatically increasing risk for bad actors while simultaneously incentivizing people to create value. Overtime this will lead people to being respectful. Respect for the rights of others is the foundation of freedom. If we don’t respect the individual rights and freedoms of others we won’t have any rights ourselves. This has to be the core value of society for a free market/voluntarism culture to exist.
“An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.” Robert A. Heinlein.
Older post, related to this one: 1. Why Do Black Americans Vote Democrat? (Legit Question) 2. Some Thoughts on Free Market Capitalism 3. Diversity and Tolerance 4. Abortion, Eugenics and Demographics 5. Culture Brings People Together, Multiculturalism is No Culture